House committee approves Pavlov resolution opposing EPA power grab

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan House Committee on Natural Resources on Tuesday passed a resolution sponsored by Sen. Phil Pavlov to oppose a study backed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that could lead to regulations on personal grills and barbecues.

The EPA has funded a University of California-Riverside student project to develop preventive technology to reduce emissions from residential barbecues.

“The last thing the EPA should be spending taxpayer money on is a project like this that would lead to ridiculous and unnecessary regulations on backyard grilling,” said Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Natural Resources. “I’d much rather they study the potential risks of a nuclear waste dump on the shores of Lake Huron.”

Senate Concurrent Resolution 14 states that cooking outdoors on a grill during the summer saves electricity and that funding the UC-Riverside study is a poor use of taxpayer dollars.

Pavlov said reasonable measures to protect the environment are welcomed.

“Concerns for air quality should always be measured against the larger context of the economy and real-world achievability, along with effects on the American people,” Pavlov said. “It’s time to rein in Washington’s bureaucratic overreach and institute some common sense in rulemaking and regulations.”